Box-strap



(Model!) V. SOHMELZ.

. BOX STRAP N0. 522,354.- Patented July 3, 1894.

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VICTOR SCHMELZ, OF SYLVAN LAKE, FLORIDA.

BOX-STRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 522,354, dated J'uly 3, 1894.

Application filed January 29, 1894. Serial No. 498,390. (ModeL) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VICTOR SCHMELZ, a subject' of the Emperorof Germany, residing at Sylvan Lake, in the county of'Orange and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Box-Strap, of which the following is a specification.

My'invention consists of a number of slats of any stiff wood, connected by wire in the manner shown by the following description and accompanying drawings, and is to be used in place of the common box-hoop now in use; the object being to manufacture a boxstrap from any stiff, unyielding wood which could not be used to makehoops from, as these require pliable wood which will bend readily.

My box-strap is intended to be used on any kind of boxes, especially those where thin veneers are used for the box-sides as, by means ofmy box-strap, these thin sides are held more flat and firm to the box-head than by the use of the ordinary box-hoop.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view of the.

bottom of wired slat, showing how the ends of wire-loop a are inserted through hole in slat b, and manner of securing, by dividing and bringing ends of wire a over opposite sides and back to bottom of slatb. Fig. 2 is a side-view and Fig. 3a top-view of wired slat.

Fig. 6 shows end-view of the plain slat c,showing how it should be shaped to fit a wire-loop a. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 also shows how the slat 0 should be beveled slightly, to more readily allow the wire-loop a to be driven tightly over end of slat c. Fig. 7 is a general view of an orange-box, showing the strap as it appears when applied to box.

The invention consists of four wire-loops and four wooden slats. The wire-loops are shaped to fit over the ends of the slats o, and the two ends of the loop are bent at right-anglesto the loop.' Two of'the slats b have a hole near each end from bottom to top, through which the two ends of the wire-loop a are inserted from the bottom to top, bent over opposite sides and back to, and clinched on bottom as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In applying this strap to a box, the two plain slats 0 shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are nailed on opposite sides of box, and the two wired slats shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are nailed, one on bottom, the other on top of box, the wire-loop a. being driven over the ends of the plain slats 0, thus holding all four slats firmly together and through the manner of wiring, preventing splitting of slats, the wire a acting as a ferrule over the ends of all four slats. When used on extra heavy boxes where great strength is needed, a nail can be driven over each loop after the strap is nailed on box, but ordinarily this is not needed.

I do not claim originality in the loop a, but in the manner of fastening same to the slat b,'and in the combination of the wire-loop with the slats b and c; the object being mainly to produce'a box-strap of stiff wood, that will not split, and that will hold very thin boxsides flat and firm to the box-head, which is not done well enough with the hoops now in use. I

What I claim as my invention, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is- Fig. 4 shows bottom-, Fig. 5 shows side-, and

tends brought together and passed upward through the end of the contiguous slats, the ends of the wire being separated and passed over the edges of the slat and secured on the under side thereon, substantially as described.

, VICTOR SOHMELZ.

Witnesses:

JAMES 'A. PINE, W. R. ROBBINS- 

